A terrible gale visited the island on Tuesday morning, and
continued at intervals till Wednesday night. The barometer in London fell to 28.6 in., which is nearly, though not quite, un- precedented, and the damage done to hoardings, chimneys, and weak buildings was most unusual. A large portion of the roof of Ludgate Hill Station was, for example, blown away and carried bodily to some distance. On the coasts the wind had its own way, and they were strewn with wrecks. In one instance, which excited unusual interest, the ‘Benvenue,' 2,033 tons, drifted on shore at Sandgate, and for sixteen hours her crew re- mained in the rigging waiting for the assistance it was impossi- ble to send. They were at last rescued by the Sandgate lifeboat, with a scratch crew of fishermen. At St. Leonards, also, a Bremen barque of 1,000 tons went ashore, and her crew were only saved by persevering efforts to throw rockets attached to a line over her. After twelve failures, one succeeded, and the crew were drawn to shore over a hawser. In another case, off Port- slade, near Brighton, a schooner laden with slate broke up too quickly for the lifeboats to reach her, and though three men saved themselves by swimming, the Captain, his son, and a seaman were drowned. Communication with the Continent was almost suspended for twenty-four hours, the packets being unable to run, and the telegraphs and telephones to work.
Previous page
